Improvement in railroad-car seats and couches



UNITED ASTATES '.I. H. FISHER, or PLACERVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-CAR SEATS AND CO'UCHES Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 30,472, dated October 23, 1860.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. H. FISHER, of Placerville, in the county ot' Eldorado and State ot' California, have invented a new and Improved Arrangement of Seats and Berths for Sleeping or Night Cars on Railroads; and I, do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part ofthis speciiicatiou, `in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional view of a portion of arailroad-car with my invention applied to it, and 'shown arranged for day use; Fig. 2, a similar view with the invention arranged for night use; tFig. 3, a transverse section of Fig. 1, taken in the line x Fig/1,2m section showing one portion of the invention pertaining to the platform-berth. f i

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in`a. novel and iinproved arrangement of seats and platformtierths, substantially as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby the seats and platforms may be rreadily adjusted to form berths to accommodate at night all the passengers which the seats can accommodate during the day.

rlhe object of the invention is to obtaina very simple means or arrangement of parts for effecting the desired end, so that a person unacquainted with the mechanism can readily make the changes from seats to berths, and vice versa.

A A B represent three seats of a railroadcar. The seats A A are constructed precisely alike, being provided with ordinary reversible backs, a a, and cushions b b, which may be raised, the cushions having each a box, c, below them containing pillows d. (See Fig. 1.) The center seat, 13, diifers from the other two in these respects: its back e is formed of two longitudinal and equal parts connected by a joint,f, which admits ofthe parts working inward to a certain extent. The cushion g may be removed from the frame, and below it a supplemental cushion, h,is attached by hinges i.

To the frame of the seat B, and underneath the cushion g, there is secured by a pivot au arm, h', which may, when required, be turned outward and made to rest on the seat in front of it.

y The above partsy comprise all the seat arrangements.

.The seats are converted into berths as follows: The arm h' of the seat B is turned out-4 ward and its end adjusted on the frame of the seat adjoining it.I The cushion gis the'n re- 'moved from the frame of seat B and placed between the frame of the seat B and the frame on which the arm h rests, the arm h, in connection with a bearing, z', at the side of the car, supporting the cushion g in its new position. The hack e of seat B- is then reversed in position-that is to say,turned over to theopposite side of the seat-and the supplemental cushion his turned over and made to rest ou the frame of the seat next adjoining the cushion JL, lling the space between the two seats'. The

' back e is'then turned down in 'ahorisontal position, and a couch or berth equalin length to two seats, A B, and the space between them, in connection with the space covered by the vcushion g, is obtained. This couch will ,accom-l modatetwo persons, the occupants of one seat. The back e is permitted to be adjusted, as described, in consequence of being formed in two parts connected by a'joint.

` The occupants of the other seat are provided with a berth as followsriet the side of the car, and at the inner ends of the seats A A,

.there are secured two uprghts, C G, inthe sides of which grooves j are made to receive pins Ic of a platform, D. This platform is allowed to slide freel up and down between the uprights C C, whic serve as guides. The inner surface of the platform`D is upholstered, and it is of such a width that when fully elevated and turned downV in a horizontalposi'- tion it will project out as far as the outer ends of the seats A AB, as" shown in-red, Fig. 3. NVhen the platform is adjusted in a' horizontal position it is supported at its inner -part by studs or pins l, attached to the platform, said studs or pins iitting in recesses in the side of the car, as shown Vin Fig. 3. lThe outer part of the platform is supported by studs or pins m, which rest en brackets n, attached to uprights o o.

latter is to be adjusted or moved out of the rlhe platform D has a head-board,` attached by hinges, so as to admit of its be-` ing turned down on the platform when the I i I,

y down on the platform,

2' sans@ there is placed a. curtain, E, which is connect/fed by cords q .q to the platform D, said cords passing over the top and underneath the body of the car, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the curtain will be raised or lowered automatically by the moving of the platform, the curtain being lowered as the platform D is raised in consequence 'of the pull being on the lower cords', q, or those'attached platform. When the platform D is lowered between its guides C the curtain will be raised in consequenceof'the pull on the upper oords,'q. To the upper or outer edge of the platform D there is attached by arms r a side guard, F. This side guard may be formed of' a metal plate or board of sufficient width, the arms r being connected to the ends ot the platform and also the guard by'pivot s, as showuby the dotted lines in Fig. 3. This manner oi attaching the side guard to the platformadmits of its being turned up vwhen the platform is adjusted in a horizontal position, and also admits of the side guard being folded so that the latter may be forced doivn between the guides C C when required. When the side guard is adjusted in a vertical' position itis retained in proper place by pins t, which. are attached to it, and by I springs u, attached to the nprights o o, the pins t being behind the springs u, asshown in red in Fig. 3.

Theplat'iorm D is provided with one of the pillows d, 'and the upper or outer edge of the platform has a curtain, u", attached, which is concealed by the side guard, F, where the platto the lower edge ofthe.

(see Fig. 2,)

small cost,-and the mode of adjusting the parts will readily suggest itself to the oocupants, so that they may con vert the parts into seatsor berths, as may berequired.

Having thus described nay-invention, what i claim as new, and desire lto secure by Letters 1 The jointed :back e of the seat B and the removable cushion g, invv connection with the supplemental hinged 'cushion JL, -the above parts'being arranged in relation with the seats A A, as described, to form the lower berth.

2. The platform D, guides@ C, and uprights o o, arranged and combined, as shown, to admit of said platform being adjusted in a hori.

zontal position for use or being removed out of the way whennot required.

3. The side guard, F, attached to the platform D by means ot the arms r,'substantially as shown, to admit ofthe guard being adjusted to the platform, so that the latter may be shoved down between' the guides C C, as lset4 forth.

4. Connecting the curtain E to the platform D by lmeans ot' the cords g q', arranged substantially as shown, so that the curtain may be raised and lowered automatically bythe movement of the platform.

. A J. H. FISHER.

Witnesses:

G. W. CoDnING'roN,

'OGDEN 'SQUIREs 

